Unifor is speaking out against a move by the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) to change providers for the contract to assist passengers with special needs.

The GTAA recently opened a tendering process for the contract, which was awarded to Toronto Ground Airport Services (TGAS). Unifor said no formal commitment to any of the employees working for the contract’s previous provider, Servisair, has been made.

According to the union, the switch would lead to the layoff of more than 260 workers who service passengers with special needs.

Unifor is accusing GTAA of “contract flipping” — the practice of switching service providers in an effort to control costs. When each new contract begins, employees re-apply for their job and start at the bottom of the wage scale. The practice is legal, but the union called it “unethical.”

“Unifor was formed to fight back against the abuse of low-waged and precarious workers,” said Unifor’s national president Jerry Dias. “We will do whatever is takes to ensure these workers are treated fairly and aren’t thrust into unemployment by the whims of the GTAA.”